Latest news with #CaseySchmitt
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cardinals vs. Guardians Highlights
Giants lean on Webb, long ball to take series opener vs. Dodgers 6-2 The San Francisco Giants leaned on another strong Logan Webb outing and home runs from Willy Adames, Casey Schmitt and Andrew Knizner to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2 on Friday night at Dodger lean on Webb, long ball to take series opener vs. Dodgers 6-2 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area 3:01 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Giants' Logan Webb vows to protect hitters after spate of plunkings
SAN FRANCISCO — Every cool and rational head in the ballpark at 24 Willie Mays Plaza understood that Miami Marlins closer Calvin Faucher didn't do it on purpose. Faucher was trying to protect a 4-2 lead in the ninth inning Wednesday night. The last thing he wanted to do was hit the San Francisco Giants' first batter, Dominic Smith, with a two-strike curveball. And there's zero chance that Faucher meant for his next pitch to ride up and hit Casey Schmitt on the left hand. Advertisement But these are not cool or rational times for anyone who attends pregame hitters' meetings in the Giants' home batting cage. They aren't scoring runs. They aren't supporting their pitching staff. When the Giants manage to create a scoring opportunity or two, they aren't coming up with a clutch hit. The frustration is mounting. They are beginning to wear it hard. They are also wearing it in another sense. The Giants are getting hit by pitches with alarming regularity. Last week against the Cleveland Guardians, Heliot Ramos reacted with obvious irritation when he was hit for the second time in the series. Wilmer Flores, who is as placid as an alpine lake, spiked his helmet in apparent anger when he got plunked by a Guardians pitcher. In the fourth inning Tuesday night, Ramos glared at the mound before jogging to first base when Marlins pitcher Cal Quantrill plunked him on the arm. It was Schmitt's turn Wednesday night. He fumed after he was struck by Faucher, spiking his bat and then cradling his hand as the ballpark held its collective breath. The Giants forced extra innings, and Schmitt played third base in the 10th, but he couldn't grip a bat. Brett Wisely was prepared to hit for Schmitt, but his turn didn't come up in an 8-5, 10-inning loss that was deflating on several levels. Schmitt underwent postgame X-rays, which did not reveal a fracture, but he will undergo more tests Wednesday morning. He said his hand 'felt like a balloon' while he met with reporters at his locker. The Giants cannot afford to lose Schmitt for any length of time because he's already replacing another indispensable player. Schmitt entered Wednesday batting .400 with four home runs in 13 games since replacing third baseman Matt Chapman, who is just beginning to swing a bat again while recovering from a sprained right hand he sustained on the basepaths. Advertisement Schmitt was angry. Just not irrationally angry. 'I've gotten hit there a lot, so I've got some trauma there,' Schmitt said. 'We've been wearing pitches so it's kind of built up. Obviously, he's not doing it on purpose. It's just not fun to get hit, especially up and in on the hands.' Intentional or not, the Giants are up to here with all of it. They've gotten hit six times on the homestand and twice more in the June 13-15 series at Dodger Stadium. It's not only how often they're getting hit, but also who is getting backed off the plate. Toss all of it into a larger vortex of vexation over their offensive struggles, and it has the potential for a toxic brew. The final game of this series Wednesday afternoon could get interesting. 'I feel like the game finds a way to even itself out. And it will,' said right-handed ace Logan Webb, who received no decision after holding the Marlins to two runs in six innings. 'It's starting to get frustrating (with) how many guys are getting hit. As pitchers, we've got to do a better job protecting those guys.' For generations of pitchers, there has been only one way to protect hitters. It does not include holding restorative justice sessions. 'Baseball finds a way of working something out,' Webb said cryptically. 'Hopefully, there's a little bit of edge tomorrow because of some of the stuff that happened today. Hope we come out with a lot of energy.' Ramos shouted at the Marlins' dugout after Schmitt clutched his hand in the ninth. There might be nobody more fed up than the 25-year-old Ramos, who has been hit 10 times in 341 plate appearances this season. Entering the year, he'd been hit only twice in 600 major-league plate appearances. 'I feel like they're trying to execute some pitches, but if you don't know how to pitch in, don't pitch in, you know?' Ramos said. 'Try to get some outs another way. I mean, that's the only way they can get us. They know it makes anybody uncomfortable. I feel like a lot of guys, when they get hit, they go 0 for 4 that day. You're dodging pitches when they come in. It's pretty irritating. Advertisement 'Me personally, I'll keep diving out there to get hits. I'll get hit twice if I have to. But some guys, it takes away their focus for sure.' Schmitt's first full professional season in 2021 for Low-A San Jose ended when a pitch fractured his left wrist. Just six weeks earlier, he'd been struck by a pitch in the face that shattered his nose, gave him two black eyes, prompted an ambulance ride to the hospital and left him sufficiently shaken that he met regularly with Dr. Emily Cheatum, the Giants' minor league mental health coordinator in the offseason. When Schmitt found himself bailing out early on pitches, he changed to a more closed stance. 'It's annoying, but stuff like that happens,' Schmitt said Wednesday night. 'I don't think it's intentional at all, but it's not a fun thing to have to go through. Especially when I've gotten hit in the face, I've fractured my wrist. I've had these injuries, and it's annoying and frustrating.' The Giants were frustrated at the end of a game that met former manager Bruce Bochy's definition of 'buzzard's luck.' The Giants tied it in the ninth when Patrick Bailey slapped an RBI single to left field. But it was preceded by a sacrifice fly from Willy Adames that was caught on the warning track, and in the daytime, likely would've carried into the stands for a walk-off grand slam. Following Bailey's hit, Christian Koss smoked a lineout to Marlins third baseman Connor Norby, who might as well be named Bobby Richardson. Then the Marlins scored the automatic runner plus more against Camilo Doval in the top of the 10th. And the Giants are on the verge of getting swept at home by one of the league's most anonymous teams. 'We can't take our minds off the game,' Ramos said. 'Not to retaliate, but at the end of the day, you have to send a message. That's what the game is about. There are a lot of unwritten rules that a lot of people got away from. I feel like those rules are what keeps the feel of the game. We've got to score runs for (the pitchers) and back them up so they protect us.' Advertisement Giants manager Bob Melvin noted that his hitters don't rank in the upper half when it comes to getting hit by pitches. However, Melvin has mentioned the recent frequency, like everyone else. 'It's some of our key guys, too,' Melvin said. 'So that doesn't feel too good.' What can the Giants do about it? 'Not something I certainly want to speak about,' said Melvin, who will send right-hander Hayden Birdsong to the mound Thursday. 'But obviously, we need to protect our guys.' That also goes for the upcoming three-city road trip. Ramos groaned when someone mentioned to him that the Chicago White Sox have hit the second-most batters among major league pitching staffs. The Athletics have hit the third most. The Giants will face both teams before returning home.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Michael Conforto's three-run home run (5)
Schmitt clears the bases vs. Dodgers with grand slam in third Giants infielder Casey Schmitt hit a grand slam in the third to give San Francisco a 5-1 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday clears the bases vs. Dodgers with grand slam in third originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area 0:31 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Schmitt leads Giants against the Marlins following 4-hit game
Miami Marlins (31-45, fifth in the NL East) vs. San Francisco Giants (44-34, second in the NL West) San Francisco; Tuesday, 9:45 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Marlins: Cal Quantrill (3-7, 5.68 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 48 strikeouts); Giants: Justin Verlander (0-4, 4.61 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 47 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Giants -185, Marlins +153; over/under is 8 runs BOTTOM LINE: The San Francisco Giants take on the Miami Marlins after Casey Schmitt had four hits against the Red Sox on Sunday. San Francisco has a 25-14 record at home and a 44-34 record overall. The Giants have a 22-13 record in games when they record at least eight hits. Miami has a 31-45 record overall and a 14-21 record in road games. The Marlins have the sixth-ranked team batting average in the NL at .251. Tuesday's game is the fourth time these teams square off this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Rafael Devers has 19 doubles and 16 home runs for the Giants. Schmitt is 13 for 33 with a double, three home runs and nine RBIs over the last 10 games. Agustin Ramirez leads the Marlins with 11 home runs while slugging .447. Jesus Sanchez is 6 for 34 with two home runs and three RBIs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Giants: 4-6, .237 batting average, 4.44 ERA, outscored by three runs Marlins: 6-4, .277 batting average, 3.90 ERA, outscored opponents by three runs INJURIES: Giants: Jerar Encarnacion: 10-Day IL (oblique), Matt Chapman: 10-Day IL (hand), Tom Murphy: 60-Day IL (back) Marlins: Ryan Weathers: 60-Day IL (lat), Jesus Tinoco: 15-Day IL (forearm), Max Meyer: 15-Day IL (hip), Derek Hill: 10-Day IL (wrist), Rob Brantly: 60-Day IL (lat), Griffin Conine: 60-Day IL (arm), Andrew Nardi: 60-Day IL (back), Braxton Garrett: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
With Tyler Fitzgerald demoted, Casey Schmitt looks like the Giants everyday second baseman
Giving Tyler Fitzgerald the opening-day job at second base was always something of a Catch-22 for the Giants. There were obvious red flags with his surprising rookie season, yet it would have been organizational malpractice not to give him a chance to repeat his success. There was a safety net, too, as Fitzgerald's speed and defense gave him the chance to be valuable even if he wasn't hitting .280 with power. Advertisement The good news is that the safety net worked, in part. According to Baseball-Reference, Fitzgerald has still been worth a win over replacement this season, despite his .609 OPS. The bad news is that the Giants are desperate for more offensive production, not speed and defense. Fitzgerald was optioned to Triple A on Monday, with Justin Verlander returning from paternity leave. The second base job is wide open again. Except it's probably spoken for, at least for now. As Baggs noted on Sunday, Casey Schmitt isn't just surging at the plate because of some luck with the balls he's putting into play. He's surging because he's swinging the bat fast and hitting the ball hard. Both the bat speed and exit velocity are indicators that there might be something sustainable in this hot streak. He's taking far more pitches than he had been and drawing walks, too. There just wasn't going to be a place for him when Matt Chapman returned from the IL, unless a spot opened up somewhere else in the infield. It would appear that spot is at second base now. If it doesn't work out, the Giants will look for the Freddy Sánchez, Marco Scutaro or, uh, Dan Uggla of the 2025 trade deadline. But if it does work, it'll be an unexpected solution to a somewhat foreseeable problem. It's not difficult to get excited about a version of Schmitt who makes good swing decisions and hits the ball hard. His speed can't compare to Fitzgerald's, but the defense should, and the shinier batted-ball metrics from Schmitt will allow the team to have more confidence in him during his inevitable slumps. Schmitt and Fitzgerald have had strange, mirror-image careers to this point. Schmitt was the 2020 second-round pick who made Giants' top-10 prospect lists and even snuck on some top-100 overall lists when he was still in the minor leagues. He was the third baseman of the future until Chapman came along. Fitzgerald was a toolsy fourth-round pick in 2019 who struck out so much as a 24-year-old in Double A (33 percent K-rate) that it was hard to predict a future utility career for him, much less a steady everyday MLB job. Schmitt got to the majors quickly; Fitzgerald took longer (and had a missed 2020 development season during the pandemic). Advertisement Schmitt didn't hit in the majors before this season, though, and Fitzgerald did. It's the obvious reason why both players' stocks went in different directions prior to this season. One player was a big part of the offseason roster calculations, and another one was so buried behind a long-term fixture, he couldn't even get a passing mention in an entire article about options the Giants might have against left-handed pitching. At the risk of drawing too many conclusions from a three-month sample — and an even smaller sample when it comes to Schmitt's offensive production — this feels like a return to what the organization was probably expecting in 2021, 2022, 2023 and the first couple months of 2024. Schmitt was an unpolished player with the raw tools to be a regular; Fitzgerald was an unpolished player with the raw tools to be a regular … if a lot more fell into place. The main concerns with Schmitt have to do with plate discipline and swing decisions, and the solutions to both are trending in the right direction. The main concerns with Fitzgerald have to do with both contact and the quality of that contact, and they never stopped being concerns, even when he was hitting a home run in almost every other game last season. The good news for Fitzgerald is that he's looked like a proven major leaguer before, and it probably wouldn't take much to have him looking that way again. The Giants sending him to Triple A isn't a sign that the organization is giving up on him. It's a sign that they aren't giving up on him. They had the choice of getting him regular at-bats in Sacramento or limited at-bats in the Brett Wisley/Christian Koss role from the last couple years. If they didn't think he had a shot to be a regular one day, they'd probably opt for a no-fuss utility role, as he's already proven more than Wisley or Koss with a similar skill set. As is, Fitzgerald will see regular playing time with the River Cats and try to make loud, regular contact at the plate. The other options for second base are somewhere between far-fetched and completely absurd, at least until the trade deadline. Both Wisely and Koss have major-league skills everywhere other than at the plate, but their offensive struggles are pronounced enough to keep them far away from the starting lineup. There's a wacky idea that's sure to get kicked around somewhere, with Rafael Devers moving back to third base and Chapman moving to second, but it doesn't make a lick of sense. An even wackier idea would be Chapman sliding over to shortstop, with Devers at third and Willy Adames at second, but that's asking a lot for two guys just getting used to the organization. The Giants already have, perhaps, the best defender in the game at third base. He probably could play second base or shortstop, but that's like asking Jimi Hendrix to switch to mandolin. He wouldn't be lost, but it would sure be a waste. Especially when the other guy playing third in the analogy occasionally plays guitar like Fred Durst. No, it appears that Schmitt will get a chance at second base for the next month, at least, which is a development that would have made sense all along, if not for Fitzgerald's breakout performance last year. On Sunday's broadcast, both Dave Flemming and Mike Krukow were talking about the difference in the quality of Schmitt's at-bats lately. Advertisement FLEMMING: It's amazing with Casey, too. He was kind of laughing with me the other day when I was talking to him about his at-bats, and he said, 'I do have to admit, that when I first came up, I kind of swung at everything.' KRUKOW: Ya think??? The mock incredulousness in Krukow's voice was both hilarious and earned. All Schmitt needed to do was stop swinging at lousy pitches. So far, so good this season, and it's why he'll likely get the chance to be an everyday player over the next month. The Giants thought he'd get the chance a lot sooner than this, but there's no sense complaining about the detours everyone took along the way. He's now in prove-it mode, just like Fitzgerald was at the beginning of this season. Hopefully the results will be better for everyone this time around. (Top photo of Schmitt: Megan Briggs / Getty Images)
